They say big things come in small packages. If you were fortunate enough to be at the 2013 annual fitness competition put on by the Tyron Lewis Community Gym on July 27, then you know exactly what that means.
This small “gem” of a gym is located on the south side of St. Petersburg, Florida in the heart of the African community. An institution of the African Peoples Education and Defense Fund (APEDF), it was put in place to address health and fitness disparities in the community.
It was apparent at this competition that that was exactly what they were doing.
You had Uhuru Foods and Pies doing the cooking. Those Kuku chicken wraps were banging. The smoothies were so good that you forgot they were good for you.
Rollin Oats, a healthy and organic food market was also in attendance providing free samples of healthy foods. It Works Body Wraps, an innovative way to shed unwanted inches off of your belly, was on the scene as well with its distributors providing people with an alternative to tummy tucks and lipo.
Livestream broadcasting was made possible by the most capable UhuruNews.com staff. Alex, the emcee of the event, kept things moving smoothly with his sharp wit and humor.
What really made this the event of the year was the show of community support and the participants themselves. The people really came out to see a show, and a show they got.
How much better can it get than having Taylar Stallings as the judge? She is not only ranked the 4th strongest woman in the world, but she is truly a class act.
Contestants were also in the comparable hands of Damon Reio, owner of Physiques by Damon and St. Pete Boot Camp, and myself.
You had Tommy Washington, and Dexter Daughtrey taking weights on and off all afternoon. These guys moved more weights than anybody, and they kept things moving along very efficiently.
The competition winners
Now let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of this whole thing: who lifted what, and how much did they lift.
On the men’s side, Omali Yeshitela came in 3rd place with an impressive total of 860lbs lifted. The man deadlifted 340lbs and squatted 315lbs.
Did I mention he is 70-plus years young? Don’t hurt yourself trying to chase him.
Coming in 2nd, we had Terry Washington, a longtime member of The Tyron Lewis Community Gym. He had an impressive total of 1180lbs, with 415lb bench.
The man who took 1st place was out of Bradenton, Fl. We nicknamed him “superman,” and for good reason.
Andrew Jackson had a total score of 1350lbs lifted. His dead lift was 500lbs. This guy was really impressive.
The showstopper was Leo Rodgers. This man had a very impressive total of 570lbs.
This is not a typo. This young man performed the squat, bench press and dead lift… but with one leg.
He lost one of his legs in a motorcycle accident some years ago. This really fired the crowd up.
The man dead lifted 185lbs! He only weighed 128lbs himself, and all with one leg. Talk about determination.
The women were also very impressive. Taraneka Billue, another longtime member of TyRon Lewis Community Gym, had a total of 440lbs lifted.
Elaine Chambliss, long standing member of the gym came in 2nd with a total of 500lbs lifted.
Iryna Bandayk from Damon Reios’ Physiques by Damon came in 1st place with a total of 445lbs. She weighed only 137lbs, so that is very impressive.
The event was spectacular. It did what it intended to do, and that was to engage the community in health and fitness activities.
The event showcased some of the other programs of the APEDF. We also gained a couple of new members to the gym. The word is out… this place is truly a “gem” of a gym.
The All People's TyRon Lewis Community Gym is located at 1327 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. South St. Petersburg, FL 33705. For hours, membership, and private training, call 727-824-5670
Video of the competition can be seen, below!
